Lance Armstrong Admits to Doping in Interview with Oprah Winfrey

Even though the "no-holds-barred" interview will not air
until this Thursday, cyclist
Lance Armstrong told Oprah Winfrey that he had used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de
France a record seven times, according to media reports. After more than a
decade of denials, Armstrong sat down with the talk show host for over two
hours last night at the Four Seasons Hotel in his hometown of Austin, TX,
during which time he admitted to doping to gain an edge in
cycling in the mid-1990s, before he was diagnosed with cancer.

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Shortly after the interview, Winfrey took to
Twitter to say, "Just wrapped up with @lancearmstrong More than 2 1/2 hours.
He came READY!" The interview marks Armstrong's first public statementssince he was stripped
of his titles and banned from competing. Cycling's international governing bodymade the ruling after a 202-page report, citing overwhelming evidence that he was
involved in a sophisticated doping program, emerged in October. Armstrong, 41, and
his representatives have also had discussions with the US Anti-Doping Agency
about a potential full debriefing, but it's not certain at this time if he will agree to
it.

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While Armstrong issued an emotional apology to the staff
at Livestrong, the charity he founded to support cancer survivors, the public
has been taking to Facebook and Twitter-where "Lance
Armstrong" is trending-to share their honest
(and sometimes brutal) opinions of the announcement.

In the meantime, Winfrey opted to discuss the
interview on CBS's This Morning earlier today, where she said she prepared 112 questions for the
"difficult" interview. She said that he came ready, but not in the
manner she expected, and overall, he really "brought it." "I would say there
were a couple times where he was emotional," she said. "But that doesn't
describe the intensity at times."

The interview will air on the OWN network for
two nights, starting at 9 P.M. EST Thursday and continuing Friday.

What do you think
of the announcement? Do you plan to watch the interview? Comment below!